Smartphone puzzle applications pose risks to privacy, study finds

July 5, 2018

Puzzle journals are a pillar of migraine management, and many smart commercial applications have been developed to help people track their pain. A new study Headache revealed that such applications often share information with third parties, which poses risks to privacy in part because there are few legal protections against the sale or the disclosure of medical data to third parties. Analyzed journal applications, all medical information collected from the user with 57% (8/14) providing the ability to store patient log data on application provider servers, 14% ( 2/14) not providing clear statements on "In 2018, it is estimated that nearly half of the 3.4 billion smartphone users will use health-related apps in 2018, and currently there are a wide range of applications on the market for various neurological conditions and pain, "said lead author Dr. Mia Minen, of NYU Langone Medical Center, New York." We think our study may have extended implications for people suffering from various chronic conditions. "